the miscellaneous writings and speeches-3-第30章

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monade；　despatched　at　three　o'clock；　would　succeed　midnight　banquets；　from　which　the　guests　would　be　carried　home　speechless。　　To　the　backgammon　board　at　which　the　good　King　played　for　a　little　silver　with　his　equerries；　would　succeed　faro　tables　from　which　young　patricians　who　had　sate　down　rich　would　rise　up　beggars。　　The　drawing…room；　from　which　the　frown　of　the　Queen　had　repelled　a　whole　generation　of　frail　beauties；　would　now　be　again　what　it　had　been　in　the　days　of　Barbara　Palmer　and　Louisa　de　Querouaille。　　Nay；　severely　as　the　public　reprobated　the　Prince's　many　illicit　attachments；　his　one　virtuous　attachment　was　reprobated　more　severely　still。　　Even　in　grave　and　pious　circles　his　Protestant　mistresses　gave　less　scandal　than　his　Popish　wife。　　That　he　must　be　Regent　nobody　ventured　to　deny。　　But　he　and　his　friends　were　so　unpopular　that　Pitt　could；　with　general　approbation；　propose　to　limit　the　powers　of　the　Regent　by　restrictions　to　which　it　would　have　been　impossible　to　subject　a　Prince　beloved　and　trusted　by　the　country。　　Some　interested　men；　fully　expecting　a　change　of　administration；　went　over　to　the　opposition。　　But　the　majority；　purified　by　these　desertions；　closed　its　ranks；　and　presented　a　more　firm　array　than　ever　to　the　enemy。　　In　every　division　Pitt　was　victorious。　　When　at　length；　after　a　stormy　interregnum　of　three　months；　it　was　announced；　on　the　very　eve　of　the　inauguration　of　the　Regent；　that　the　King　was　himself　again；　the　nation　was　wild　with　delight。　　On　the　evening　of　the　day　on　which　His　Majesty　resumed　his　functions；　a　spontaneous　illumination；　the　most　general　that　had　ever　been　seen　in　England；　brightened　the　whole　vast　space　from　Highgate　to　Tooting；　and　from　Hammersmith　to　Greenwich。　　On　the　day　on　which　he　returned　thanks　in　the　cathedral　of　his　capital；　all　the　horses　and　carriages　within　a　hundred　miles　of　London　were　too　few　for　the　multitudes　which　flocked　to　see　him　pass　through　the　streets。　　A　second　illumination　followed；　which　was　even　superior　to　the　first　in　magnificence。　　Pitt　with　difficulty　escaped　from　the　tumultuous　kindness　of　an　innumerable　multitude　which　insisted　on　drawing　his　coach　from　Saint　Paul's　Churchyard　to　Downing　Street。　　This　was　the　moment　at　which　his　fame　and　fortune　may　be　said　to　have　reached　the　zenith。　　His　influence　in　the　closet　was　as　great　as　that　of　Carr　or　Villiers　had　been。　　His　dominion　over　the　Parliament　was　more　absolute　than　that　of　Walpole　of　Pelham　had　been。　　He　was　at　the　same　time　as　high　in　the　favour　of　the　populace　as　ever　Wilkes　or　Sacheverell　had　been。　　Nothing　did　more　to　raise　his　character　than　his　noble　poverty。　　It　was　well…known　that；　if　he　had　been　dismissed　from　office　after　more　than　five　years　of　boundless　power；　he　would　hardly　have　carried　out　with　him　a　sum　sufficient　to　furnish　the　set　of　chambers　in　which；　as　he　cheerfully　declared；　he　meant　to　resume　the　practice　of　the　law。　　His　admirers；　however；　were　by　no　means　disposed　to　suffer　him　to　depend　on　daily　toil　for　his　daily　bread。　　The　voluntary　contributions　which　were　awaiting　his　acceptance　in　the　city　of　London　alone　would　have　sufficed　to　make　him　a　rich　man。　　But　it　may　be　doubted　whether　his　haughty　spirit　would　have　stooped　to　accept　a　provision　so　honourably　earned　and　so　honourably　bestowed。　To　such　a　height　of　power　and　glory　had　this　extraordinary　man　risen　at　twenty…nine　years　of　age。　　And　now　the　tide　was　on　the　turn。　　Only　ten　days　after　the　triumphal　procession　to　Saint　Paul's；　the　States…General　of　France；　after　an　interval　of　a　hundred　and　seventy…four　years；　met　at　Versailles。　The　nature　of　the　great　Revolution　which　followed　was　long　very　imperfectly　understood　in　this　country。　　Burke　saw　much　further　than　any　of　his　contemporaries：　　but　whatever　his　sagacity　descried　was　refracted　and　discoloured　by　his　passions　and　his　imagination。　　More　than　three　years　elapsed　before　the　principles　of　the　English　administration　underwent　any　material　change。　　Nothing　could　as　yet　be　milder　or　more　strictly　constitutional　than　the　minister's　domestic　policy。　　Not　a　single　act　indicating　an　arbitrary　temper　or　a　jealousy　of　the　people　could　be　imputed　to　him。　　He　had　never　applied　to　Parliament　for　any　extraordinary　powers。　　He　had　never　used　with　harshness　the　ordinary　powers　entrusted　by　the　constitution　to　the　executive　government。　　Not　a　single　state　prosecution　which　would　even　now　be　called　oppressive　had　been　instituted　by　him。　　Indeed；　the　only　oppressive　state　prosecution　instituted　during　the　first　eight　years　of　his　administration　was　that　of　Stockdale；　which　is　to　be　attributed　not　to　the　government；　but　to　the　chiefs　of　the　opposition。　　In　office　Pitt　had　redeemed　the　pledges　which　he　had；　at　his　entrance　into　public　life；　given　to　the　supporters　of　parliamentary　reform。　　He　had；　in　1785；　brought　forward　a　judicious　plan　for　the　improvement　of　the　representative　system；　and　had　prevailed　on　the　King；　not　only　to　refrain　from　talking　against　that　plan；　but　to　recommend　it　to　the　Houses　in　a　speech　from　the　throne。　　（The　speech　with　which　the　King　opened　the　session　of　1785；　concluded　with　an　assurance　that　His　Majesty　would　heartily　concur　in　every　measure　which　could　tend　to　secure　the　true　principles　of　the　constitution。　　These　words　were　at　the　time　understood　to　refer　to　Pitt's　Reform　Bill。）　　This　attempt　failed；　but　there　can　be　little　doubt　that；　if　the　French　Revolution　had　not　produced　a　violent　reaction　of　public　feeling；　Pitt　would　have　performed；　with　little　difficulty　and　no　danger；　that　great　work　which；　at　a　later　period；　Lord　Grey　could　accomplish　only　by　means　which　for　a　time　loosened　the　very　foundations　of　the　commonwealth。　　When　the　atrocities　of　the　slave　trade　were　first　brought　under　the　consideration　of　Parliament；　no　abolitionist　was　more　zealous　than　Pitt。　　When　sickness　prevented　Wilberforce　from　appearing　in　public；　his　place　was　most　efficiently　supplied　by　his　friend　the　minister。　　A　humane　bill；　which　mitigated　the　horrors　of　the　middle　passage；　was；　in　1788；　carried　by　the　eloquence　and　determined　spirit　of　Pitt；　in　spite　of　the　opposition　of　some　of　his　own　colleagues；　and　it　ought　always　to　be　remembered　to　his　honour　that；　in　order　to　carry　that　bill；　he　kept　the　Houses　sitting；　in　spite　of　many　murmurs；　long　after　the　business　of　the　government　had　been　done；　and　the　Appropriation　Act　passed。　　In　1791　he　cordially　concurred　with　Fox　in　maintaining　the　sound　constitutional　doctrine；　that　an　impeachment　is　not　terminated　by　a　dissolution。　　In　the　course　of　the　same　year　the　two　great　rivals　contended　side　by　side　in　a　far　more　important　cause。　　They　are　fairly　entitled　to　divide　the　high　honour　of　having　added　to　our　statute…book　the　inestimable　law　which　places　the　liberty　of　the　press　under　the　protection　of　juries。　　On　one　occasion；　and　one　alone；　Pitt；　during　the　first　half　of　his　long　administration；　acted　in　a　manner　unworthy　of　an　enlightened　Whig。　　In　the　debate　on　the　Test　Act；　he　stooped　to　gratify　the　master　whom　he　served；　the　university　which　he　represented；　and　the　great　body　of　clergymen　and　country　gentlemen　on　whose　support　he　rested；　by　talking；　with　little　heartiness；　indeed；　and　with　no　asperity；　the　language　of　a　Tory。　　With　this　single　exception；　his　conduct　from　the　end　of　1783　to　the　middle　of　1792　was　that　of　an　honest　friend　of　civil　and　religious　liberty。　Nor　did　anything；　during　that　period；　indicate　that　he　loved　war；　or　harboured　any　malevolent　feeling　against　any　neighbouring　nation。　　Those　French　writers　who　have　represented　him　as　a　Hannibal　sworn　in　childhood　by　his　father　to　bear　eternal　hatred　to　France；　as　having　by　mysterious　intrigues　and　lavish　bribes；　instigated　the　leading　Jacobins　to　commit　those　excesses　which　dishonoured　the　Revolution；　as　having　been　the　real　author　of　the　first　coalition；　know　nothing　of　his　character　or　of　his　history。　　So　far　was　he　from　being　a　deadly　enemy　to　France；　that　his　laudable　attempts　to　bring　about　a　closer　connection　with　that　country　by　means　of　a　wise　and　liberal　treaty　of　commerce　brought　on　him　the　severe　censure　of　the　opposition。　　He　was　told　in　the　House　of　Commons　that　he　was　a　degenerate　son；　and　that　his　partiality　for　the　hereditary　foes　of　our　island　was　enough　to　make　his　great　father's　bones　stir　under　the　pavement　of　the　Abbey。　And　this　man；　whose　name；　if　he　had　been　so　fortunate　as　to　die　in　1792；　would　now　have　been　associated　with　peace；　with　freedom；　with　philanthropy；　with　temperate　reform；　with　mild　and　constitutional　administration；　lived　to　associate　his　name　with　arbitrary　government；　with　harsh　laws　harshly　executed；　with　alien　bills；　with　gagging　bills；　with　suspensions　of　the　Habeas　Corpus　Act；　with　cruel　punishments　inflicted　on　some　political　agitators；　with　unjustifiable　prosecutions　instituted　against　others；　and　with　the　most　costly　and　most　sanguinary　wars　of　modern　times。　　He　lived　to　be　held　up　to　obloquy　as　the　stern　oppressor　of　England；　and　the　indefatigable　disturber　of　Europe。　　Poets；　contrasting　his　earlier　with　his　later　years；　likened　him　sometimes　to　the　apostle　who　kissed　in　order　to　betray；　and　sometimes　to　the　evil　angels　who　kept　not　their　first　estate。　　A　satirist　of　great　genius　introduced　the　fiends　of